For decades, cosmologists believed the universe’s final moments were unfathomably distant—so far in the future that even theoretical estimates stretched beyond comprehension. However, new calculations from three scientists at Radboud University suggest that the universe is fading far sooner than previously thought.
Their work, published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, refines our understanding of Hawking radiation—a phenomenon predicted by Stephen Hawking in 1975, which describes how black holes slowly evaporate over time. Expanding on this principle, researchers now propose that not only black holes but neutron stars, white dwarfs, and other celestial remnants decay through a similar process.
The implications of their findings are staggering: rather than lasting 10^78 years, a blink compared to previous estimates.
The study, led by black hole expert Heino Falcke, quantum physicist Michael Wondrak, and mathematician Walter van Suijlekom, builds upon their 2023 paper, which suggested that Hawking-like radiation affects objects beyond black holes. Following that publication, they received questions from colleagues worldwide—how long would the process take? They now have an answer.
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Their calculations reveal a startling fact: white dwarf stars, often regarded as cosmic endurance champions, may vanish far sooner than anticipated. Meanwhile, neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes share a similar fate, dissipating in about 10^67 years.
The twist? Despite their intense gravitational fields, black holes don’t evaporate any faster—some of their emitted radiation gets reabsorbed, slowing the process.
While these figures still suggest an extraordinarily distant future, the findings reshape our view of cosmic longevity. The team even extrapolated their equations to consider the fate of everyday objects. If left entirely to Hawking-like radiation, the Moon and a human would take 10^90 years to vanish—though, as the researchers humorously note, other forces will likely erase both much sooner.
Beyond the numbers, this study highlights an exciting collaboration between astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and mathematics. “By asking these questions and exploring extreme scenarios, we gain deeper insights into fundamental physics,” says co-author Walter van Suijlekom.
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“Maybe one day, we will fully unravel the mystery of Hawking radiation.”
Until then, the universe carries on—but perhaps not quite as long as we once thought.
Journal Reference:
- Heino Falcke, Michael F. Wondrak, Walter D. van Suijlekom. An upper limit to the lifetime of stellar remnants from gravitational pair production. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2410.14734
